Obamacare premiums rising faster

Obamacare insurance plans are more expensive on average than last year, although fewer consumers are seeing price increases in the most popular mid-level plans.

A week into enrollment through healthcare.gov and the state-run insurance marketplaces, independent analysts are finding that insurers have raised premiums more than they did last year. While there is significant variation by county and state, the cost of plans across every price tier has jumped by double digits.

A new analysis from the McKinsey Center for U.S. Health System Reform finds that average premiums have increased by 13 percent for bronze plans, 11 percent for silver plans, 15 percent for gold plans and 12 percent for platinum plans. Last year, price increases were more moderate, increasing between 7 and 10 percent depending on the plan tier.

The increases have led the Obama administration, which is eager to persuade more Americans to sign up, to emphasize that federal subsidies are available for the majority of people eligible to buy marketplace plans.